Subfields
Archaeology
Illinois Archaeology Awareness Month
Our Department is one of the sponsors of the Illinois Archaeology Awareness Program each year, which works to inform broad, public audiences of archaeology projects across the region and ways to become involved in those research and learning experiences. The program includes distribution of thousands of informative posters and coordination and promotion of exhibits and public events across the state.
IAAM Program Descriptions
- Lincoln's Land: The Archaeology of Early Illinois (2009)
- A New Deal for Illinois Archaeology (2008)
- Ancient Illinois (2007)
- Celebrating a Century of Preservation (2006)
- Archaeology and African-American Heritage (2005)
Lincoln's Land: The Archaeology of Early Illinois (2009)
This year's theme celebrated the bicentennial of Abraham Lincoln's birth. Archaeological sites from the early to mid-19th century contain an array of artifact types. Whereas nails, bricks, glass (window, bottles, and tableware), ceramics, slag and clinkers are common, some of the items pictured on this poster are examples of distinctive artifacts from Illinois archaeological sites dating to the Lincoln Era. Many of these are from Richard Hagen's excavations at the Lincoln Home Site, Sangamon County, in 1951. Learn more about the 2009 theme and related events at Illinois Archaeology Awareness Month.
A New Deal for Illinois Archaeology (2008)
The 75th anniversary of the Works Progress Administration, or WPA, started in the 1930s by the Roosevelt Administration, was the focus of the 2008 Illinois Archaeology Awareness Month, with public events and exhibits planned throughout the state.
The 2008 theme explores the extensive impacts of the WPA program on archaeological investigations and preservation of sites in Illinois.
Ancient Illinois (2007)
"Ancient Illinois" is the theme chosen for the 2007 Illinois Archaeology Awareness Month, with public events and exhibits planned throughout the state. Archaeologists from the sponsoring organizations chose this theme to highlight the Field Museum's new, permanent exhibit of the Ancient Americas and related archaeological sites and studies throughout the state.
From the poster:
Who were the ancient Americans? The Ancient Americas exhibit at the Field Museum takes you on a journey through 13,000 years of human ingenuity in the western hemisphere. Between the end of the last Ice Age and A.D. 1500, hundreds of diverse societies thrived long before the arrival of Europeans. Through the objects they left behind and the places they lived, you meet a few of the many peoples who lived in pre-Columbian North, Central South America and the Caribbean. Explore the challenges and creative solutions that early peoples in the Americas developed to build unique societies.
Who built the ancient mounds in Illinois? To the casual eye Illinois' ancient history is invisible. Most of it is represented by scatters of stone tools, pottery, and food remains found in cultivated fields. Although people have lived here for more than 12,000 years, it was only during the past three millennia that they built earthworks that have stood the test of time. Burial mounds, platform mounds to elevate the residence of a leader, and effigy mounds in the shapes of animals, humans, and geometric forms are found in the Midwest and elsewhere in North America. In fact, one need not travel too far to explore Ancient American mound-building cultures; there are many places in Illinois where one can see and explore the past.
Sponsors: American Resources Group, Ltd.; Archaeological Consultants, Inc.; Archaeological Research, Inc.; Center for Archaeological Investigations; Southern Illinois University, Carbondale; Department of Anthropology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; East Central Illinois Archaeological Society; Environmental Compliance Consultants, Inc.; Farmland Archaeological Services; Fever River Research, Inc.; Illinois Archaeological Survey; Illinois Association for Advancement of Archaeology; Illinois Department of Transportation; Illinois Department of Natural Resources; Illinois Historic Preservation Agency; Illinois State Museum - Dickson Mounds; Illinois Transportation Archaeological Research Program, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; MARS, Inc.; Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie; Oak View Road Media; Shawnee National Forest; Starved Rock Foundation; and The Field Museum.
Celebrating a Century of Preservation (2006)
"Celebrating a Century of Preservation" is the theme chosen for the 2006 Illinois Archaeology Awareness Month (IAAM), with public events and exhibits planned throughout the state in September. Archaeologists from the Illinois Archaeological Survey and the Illinois Association for Advancement of Archaeology chose this theme to highlight the importance of the centennial of the Antiquities Act of 1906, the first legislation in the United States that protected archaeological sites on federal property. "Events in Illinois and around the country recognize the importance of the Antiquities Act in beginning the process of preserving archaeological and historical sites on public property," said Karen Poulson, Chair of Illinois Archaeology Awareness Month.
This year, 22 sponsors came together to produce the IAAM poster and publish a guidebook to Illinois archaeological sites on public property. The poster, featuring historical and current images of Monks Mound at Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site, was designed by Susan Brannock-Gaul of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It is available by getting in touch with Poulson at klpoulson@netzero.com. Copies of the full-color guidebook Archaeological Sites of Illinois, are available from Alice Berkson, Editor, Illinois Antiquity, at berksonalice@insightbb.com.
Illinois Archaeology Awareness Month programs inform Illinoisans about the state's cultural heritage as revealed through archaeology; illustrate how prudent management of archaeological and historic resources provides educational, cultural and economic benefits to all citizens; and actively engage Illinoisans in the preservation of these nonrenewable resources. This year, programs, exhibits and publications will show how state, federal, and local agencies are stewards of archaeological sites on public property. Stewardship by agencies such as the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, and the USDA Forest Service includes the identification, scholarly investigation, and interpretation of archaeological sites on their properties. "Many people are not aware that the first place designated as a state park in Illinois is an archaeological site. In 1908, just two years after passage of the Antiquities Act, Fort Massac in far southern Illinois was established as our first state park. The process of identifying, protecting, and interpreting archaeological sites is an ongoing process with many benefits for the public. By publishing a new guidebook that includes descriptions 45 archaeological sites, we hope that everyone can visit and enjoy learning about Illinois' cultural heritage," said Poulson.
The joint conferences of the Midwest Archaeological Conference (MAC) and the Illinois Archaeological Survey (IAS) are being hosted by the UIUC Department of Anthropology, Illinois Transportation Archaeological Research Program (ITARP), and the IAS, in Urbana, Illinois, October 12-15, 2006. Additional information is available on the MAC web site at www.midwestarchaeology.org.
Events planned across Illinois may include lectures, exhibits, artifact identification sessions, and traditional technologies demonstrations. Detailed information is available at the web site www.illinoisarchaeology.org, with some events including hands-on activities for families. During September, educational programs about archaeology are offered by museums, historical and archaeological societies, parks, libraries and colleges throughout the state, and the web site includes a schedule of events.
Sponsors for 2006 Illinois Archaeology Awareness Month are: American Resources Group, Ltd.; Archaeological Consultants, Ltd.; Archaeological Research, Inc.; Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site; Center for American Archeology; Center for Archaeological Investigations-Southern Illinois University, Carbondale; Dickson Mounds Museum; East Central Illinois Archaeological Society; Environmental Compliance Consultants, Inc.; Farmland Archaeological Services; Fever River Research, Inc.; Illinois Archaeological Survey; Illinois Association for Advancement of Archaeology; Illinois Department of Transportation; Illinois Historic Preservation Agency; Illinois Transportation Archaeological Research Program, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; MARS, Inc.; Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie; Public Service Archaeology Program; Shawnee National Forest; Starved Rock Foundation; and University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign Department of Anthropology.
The 2005 and 2006 press releases were published by Karen Poulson, Chair, Illinois Archaeology Awareness Month Committee.
Archaeology and African-American Heritage (2005)
"Archaeology and African-American Heritage: Places on the Pathways of Freedom" was the theme chosen for the 2005 Illinois Archaeology Awareness Month (IAAM), with public events and exhibits planned throughout the state in September. Archaeologists from the Illinois Archaeological Survey and the Illinois Association for Advancement of Archaeology chose this theme to highlight the important contributions that archaeology is making to our understanding of African-American heritage in Illinois. "Since we have few written records detailing the day-to-day lives of early African-American residents in Illinois, archaeological sites can help us interpret topics as diverse as their role in the Underground Railroad, the diet of pioneers on the Illinois frontier, and the influence of churches and schools in settlement organization," said Karen Poulson, Chair of Illinois Archaeology Awareness Month.
Events included the Annual Conference on Illinois Archaeology, held at Parkland College in Champaign on September 16 and 17, and coordinated by Len Stelle (Parkland) and Chris Fennell (UIUC). The keynote speaker was Dr. Anna Agbe-Davies from DePaul University. Dr. Agbe-Davies has extensive experience in the excavation and interpretation of archaeological sites in the Chesapeake and Caribbean region, and her talk was entitled "Whither an African-Illinoisan Archaeology?"
In addition to the talk by Dr. Agbe-Davies, the workshop also featured a forum "Illinois Archaeology, Illinois Ethnohistory, Cultural Preservation, and Ownership," with participants Cindy Bloom (Cherokee); Dr. Brenda Farnell (UIUC); Roger Fontana (Cherokee); Dr. Robert Hall (UIC); Dr. Rochelle Lurie (Midwest Archaeological Services, Inc. and President, Illinois Archaeological Survey); Mary McCorvie (Shawnee National Forest); Lenville Stelle (Parkland College), and Dr. Michael Wiant (Dickson Mounds Museum). The forum addressed issues of Native American cultures, their rights, and the practice of archaeology in Illinois. The conference talks included such diverse topics as Miller Grove, a free African-American settlement in southern Illinois; Cantonment Wilkinson, an 1801-1802 Army camp in Pulaski County, Illinois; the archaeology of cisterns in northeastern Illinois; Prairie Kickapoo sites in central Illinois; investigations in Chicago's Old Chinatown; and recent archaeological investigations at New Philadelphia, a multiracial town in western Illinois, founded in 1836 by an entrepreneurial freed slave. An open house display and audiovisual presentation convened at Davenport Hall at the University of Illinois, featuring artifacts from New Philadelphia and other Illinois sites, and archaeologists Timothy Pauketat, Susan Alt, Terry Martin, and Chris Fennell were on hand to discuss their findings.
This year's IAAM materials, a vibrant, full-color poster and a theme issue of Illinois Antiquity, were distributed to workshop participants. The poster, with graphic design by Jason W. Howell of Southern Illinois University, is also available by getting in touch with Poulson at klpoulson@netzero.com. This poster was designed in collaboration with Mary McCorvie (Shawnee National Forest), Terrance Martin (Illinois State Museum), and Chris Fennell (UIUC), and includes information on the sites and heritage of Miller Grove and New Philadelphia. Copies of the 28-page September, 2005 issue of Illinois Antiquity, featuring six articles on African-American archaeology in Illinois, are available from Alice Berkson, Editor, Illinois Antiquity, at berksonalice@insightbb.com.
Illinois Archaeology Awareness Month programs inform Illinoisans about the state's cultural heritage as revealed through archaeology; illustrate how prudent management of archaeological and historic resources provides educational, cultural and economic benefits to all citizens; and actively engage Illinoisans in the preservation of these nonrenewable resources. "This year, programs, exhibits and publications will take a look at how archaeologists work with historians to interpret both pre- and post-Civil War era settlements related to African-American heritage. Some, such as New Philadelphia in Pike County, were integrated communities. Others, like Rocky Fork in Madison County and Miller Grove in Pope County, were settlements of freed slaves. The ongoing work of archaeologists who conduct surveys, remote sensing projects, and excavations, is of intense interest not only to nearby residents, but also to everyone who has an interest in understanding the development of ethnic communities that once flourished in Illinois," according to Poulson.
Events planned across Illinois included lectures, exhibits, artifact identification sessions, and traditional technologies demonstrations. Detailed information is available at the web site , with some events including hands-on activities for families. During September, educational programs about archaeology were offered by museums, historical and archaeological societies, parks, libraries and colleges throughout the state, and the web site includes a schedule of events.
Sponsors of the 2005 Illinois Archaeology Awareness Month were Archaeological Research, Inc., Archaeological Consultants, Dickson Mounds Museum, Illinois Archaeological Survey, Illinois Association for Advancement of Archaeology, Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Illinois Department of Transportation, Illinois State Museum, Illinois Transportation Archaeological Research Program, MARS, Inc., Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie, New Philadelphia Association, Northern Illinois University Contract Archaeology Program, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Department of Anthropology, Shawnee National Forest, USDA Forest Service, and Center for Archaeological Investigations, SIUC.